Factory activity in Japan shrinks in September, slows in Taiwan
South Korea39;s export growth slows on soft U.S. demand
China39;s stimulus may offer relief for Asia39;s exporters

TOKYO, Oct 1 Reuters Asia39;s factory activity weakened in September as soft Chinese demand and global economic uncertainty pointed to a challenging outlook, privatesector surveys showed, keeping policymakers under pressure to shore up fragile growth.

The region39;s manufacturers may get some relief in coming months from aggressive stimulus unveiled by Chinese authorities over the past week, including a lowering of interest rates and injection of liquidity into the banking system.

Factory activity in Japan shrank in September and expanded at a slower pace in Taiwan, purchasing managers39; index PMI surveys showed on Tuesday, highlighting the toll soft global demand was taking on Asian exporters.

In a sign of the widening fallout from slowing U.S. growth, South Korea39;s export growth decelerated in September with shipments to the world39;s largest economy barely increasing, data showed on Tuesday.

In China, factories struggled to make headway, with the CaixinSP Global manufacturing PMI released on Monday showing a slump to 49.3 in September from 50.4 the previous month, marking the lowest reading since July last year.

It was a similar picture in Japan, which is relying on exports to boost economic growth amid subdued consumption. The final au Jibun Bank Japan PMI dipped to 49.7 in…